Pappu Pulusu / Mulakkada Pulusu (Lentil Stew) Served with Defintions

Pappu Pulusu (Lentil stew) is lesser known cousin of Sambar. Now I have posted stews in the past and this unlike the others, is very local to the state of Andhra Pradesh. And unlike 'Sambar' this stew doesn't involve any spice mixes or powders. Its a simple rustic comfort food depending on the vegetables and the lentils themselves to render flavor. There are 2 things I would like elaborate on

a) Pulusu : Any dish that involves the use of tamarind paste+water, as a stock is called pulusu. The word pulupu in Telugu means sour hence pulusu which is derived from the sour tamarind. The sourness of the tamarind is not the focal point of the dish it merely provides as a subtle carrier of flavors. Basic method of making pulusu is boiling tried and tested combination of vegetables in tamarind juice +water with salt and then garnishing it with sauted mustard seeds + asefoetida. In some provinces of Andhra Pradesh a touch of jaggery is added which gives adds sweetness to the tang of the stew

b) Drumstick: Known widely as moringa around the world, and mulaga kada/ mulakkada / mulakkaya in Telugu . This tree yields pods which are used in cooking, lesser used parts are leaves and flowers. You would find this in Indian stores in frozen or canned form. I prefer frozen form they just preserve the taste better. If you have never eaten this vegetable put it on your grocery list and give it a try. You will love it if you already love asparagus. (Learn more about how the moringa tree is one of the most useful trees in the world, and about how its helping fight starvation in Africa)

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 40 mins
Serves: 3-4

3/4 cup of chopped onion
1 med tomato cut into 16 pieces
5 thai green chillies
tamarind paste 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup of husked green gram / moong dal/ pesara pappu
2 litres of water
200 gms of drumstick
8-10 sprigs of cilantro
1 tablespoon of oil or ghee
1/2 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
pinch of asefoetida

• Prep your vegetables, chop the onion, tomato, slit the green chillies length wise and separate cilantro leaves from the stems
  
• In a 3 quart sauce pan pour in the 2 litres water, a heavy pinch of salt, tamarind paste, onions, tomatoes, green gram, chillies, drumstick, coriander leaves / cilantro.
  
• Boil this for about 30 mins Stirring once in between. The lentils and the vegetables should be soft and completely cooked)
  
• Give it a taste and adjust the salt and the tang levels ( The tamarind should play in the background and never over power the stew)
• Heat one tablespoon ghee / oil in a tiny wok add in mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Add asefoetida and turn off the heat
• Pour this on the stew and keep a lid on it so that the smoke infuses into the stew

Serve it with rice...( 0.5 cup of cooked rice + 1.5 cups of the stew is the ratio I like) and few papads won't hurt either... Enjoy!